UF clinches share of SEC East title with win over Georgia

Kenny Boynton led four double-figure scorers with 18 points as No. 13 Florida clinched the SEC East title with a 71-62 win over Georgia.

By Kevin BrockwayStaff writer

It was a night to celebrate, but for No. 13 Florida, clinching a share of the SEC East title with a 71-62 win over rival Georgia at the O'Connell Center was just a step toward a bigger goal.“It's alright, but I want to win the whole SEC,” Florida senior forward Alex Tyus said. “We want to come out hard against Kentucky and get that win, going forward. Right now, it really doesn't mean anything to me, I think we really want to get the SEC.”Florida (22-5, 11-2 SEC) needed a flurry of 3-pointers from sophomore guard Kenny Boynton and a gutsy effort off the bench from senior forward Chandler Parsons to win its sixth straight.Boynton made three straight 3-pointers during a 1:27 stretch in the second half to extend Florida's lead to 61-53. Parsons, a game-time decision to play after sitting out the LSU game with a deep thigh bruise, had 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in 30 minutes.Boynton led four Florida scorers in double figures with 18 points. Point guard Erving Walker added 15 points, and Tyus had 12 points.That balance allowed Florida to clinch at least a share of its sixth SEC East title in school history and first since 2007.“It says a lot about this team,” Boynton said. “Over the year, we grew. Last year, we weren't even close to this position. I think this year we came in focused when SEC started and I think we're on a mission. We just want to win it all.”Florida also wrapped up the top seed in the East and a bye in the SEC Tournament regardless of how it finishes. Vanderbilt can tie Florida with three straight wins, but Florida would still get the No. 1 seed because it has a better division record.“It's a good accomplishment that we get a bye in the tournament,” Parsons said. “But we're looking at the big picture and looking at winning the entire conference.”It didn't look promising early. Florida trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half. The Gators needed a 6-2 spurt to cut Georgia's lead to 33-27 at halftime on a Tyus putback at the buzzer.“We were fortunate to be down only 7 at halftime,” Florida coach Billy Donovan said.But in the second half, Florida turned up the defensive intensity and executed better against Georgia's 2-3 zone. Florida took its first lead of the second half, 44-42, on a driving Walker layup. Parsons then added a 3-pointer to extend UF's lead to 47-42.Georgia (18-9, 7-6) cut Florida's lead to 52-51 on a pair of free throws from Travis Leslie with 7:30 left. Then, Boynton got on a roll. Boynton, who started the game 0-for-3 from 3-point range, made his first 3-pointer with a hand in his face to extend the lead to 55-51. Boynton's second 3-pointer started an 8-0 run, which included another Boynton 3-pointer and a Tyus layup in transition to put Florida up 63-53.“It was definitely a different feeling I had than in the first half,” Boynton said. “I had open looks in the first half. It just felt different in the release. After the first one, I knocked down the second one and after the second one, it just felt well.”Tyus said he's seen Boynton get that hot in practice, but in games, his cold streaks have outweighed his hot streaks. Still, Boynton's clutch shooting gave the Gators some breathing room.“That's the kind of player he is,” Walker said. “When he gets it going, there's nobody better. They could just keep going, going and going for him.”Georgia made one last push, cutting Florida's lead to 63-59 with a 6-0 run. But with a chance to cut Florida's lead to two, Georgia senior Trey Thompkins missed a pair of free throws with 2:38 left. Parsons then got a big putback with 2:19 left to put Florida back ahead 65-59.Leslie led Georgia with 20 points. Thompkins added 16 points and 7 rebounds.“We got back up and got back in it, but we didn't make the plays we needed to,” Georgia coach Mark Fox said. “You have to make the play to win. Florida did, and we didn't.”The Gators closed the game out by making six of their last nine free-throw attempts, including two straight from senior center Vernon Macklin. Macklin, who was shut out in the first half, finished with 5 points and 8 rebounds.Florida can wrap up the SEC East title outright with a win Saturday in a quick turnaround at Kentucky. But Donovan felt that Thursday night's accomplishment was worthy to celebrate.“Five out of the six SEC East teams have been ranked this season,” Donovan said. “I know we were favored to win the SEC East, but when you take a look at Kentucky, at Vanderbilt, and winning two against Tennessee and Georgia, you are talking about some very strong programs. It's very rewarding as a coach to see our growth, and I'm proud of them.”FREE THROWS: Former Florida and NBA center Dwayne Schintzius was among fans at the game. ... Florida's crowd of 12,013 at the O'Connell Center was its third straight sellout. ... Boynton has scored in double figures in six straight games. ... Florida's six game winning streak in the SEC is its longest since winning its first 11 league games in 2007.

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